Colorado Mesa University outlines 'Formation District' plan, seeks alignment with Grand Junction on Ninth Street access and student housing

Colorado Mesa University President Chris Marshall told the Grand Junction City Council on Feb. 3 that the university has updated its campus master plan to focus growth on a southwest "Formation District," new student housing and a proposed realignment of Ninth Street to create a primary entry to the campus.

The update, presented at a council workshop, said Centennial Village — a student apartment complex currently under construction — is being designed for about 310 beds and will be laid out to accommodate a future Ninth Street entrance. "We're one of the fastest growing universities in the state of Colorado for, a couple of decades," Marshall said, noting close cooperation with the city on right-of-way vacations and other administrative steps that enabled campus projects.

The nut graf: the university is asking the city to confirm shared priorities for land use and access where the campus borders the neighborhood north of the tennis courts and south of North Avenue. The presentation emphasized pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular access improvements, and flagged a specific area immediately north of the tennis courts as a new priority for acquisition.

Marshall described the Formation District as…